Have you discovered the joys of betting online yet? You could be sitting at home and still able to bet on your favorite game, without leaving the couch. However, just knowing that you can bet online isn’t all you need. You also have to find a good online sportsbook with which to place your bets. There are scams out there, so you’ll need to make sure you’re getting a good one. These tips will help.

1. Look for an online sportsbook with a good reputation. Check out reviews on any site carefully before you even think about signing up. Remember that on site testimonials aren’t very trustworthy, and watch out for the signs of a paid review – these are rarely honest.

2. Find out what kind of financial situation a prospective sportsbook is in. Check out their background. After all, if you win, they need to be in good enough shape to pay you.

3. Think about ease of use. Sites should be easy to navigate and understand. Placing a bet shouldn’t be like doing your taxes. What kind of information is offered? Your best choice is a site that offers comprehensive, up to the second information on odds, events, players and results.

4. Ask yourself how much it costs. Most of the time, there is an expense, but it doesn’t have to be huge. Look for reasonably priced sportsbooks. Some offer free bonuses, too. They may offer to match a percentage of your balance when you open an account, or they may offer signup bonuses.

5. Choose an online sportsbook that offers a lot of variety. You don’t want to bet on the same thing everytime. Good sites will give you lots of events to choose from, in case you feel like changing sports. A good variety of locations should also be offered – beware of online sportsbooks that only allow you to bet at one arena or one country. Since online betting gives you the chance to bet from anywhere in the world, take advantage of it.

7. Remember the rules. When betting online, you still have to obey the venue’s betting rules. That means that even if you’re not at a given horse track, if you want to bet, you have to obey the rules set down by that track.

8. Look for sportsbooks that are readily available. You should be able to get in contact with someone by phone or email around the clock. Test your ability to contact your online sportsbook before you need it. Some less reputable places will claim to have good service, but you won’t really get it. Make sure you can communicate with the people who answer the phone or who send the emails, and that they’re really interested in helping you.

Approaching the mid-point of the 2011 NFL Regular Season, it should come as no surprise that the teams with the most successful quarterbacks are riding high, while those with problems in the passing position are trailing the field.

Sitting atop the passer rankings after Week 8 were four QBs with ratings above 100. By no coincidence, all four play for teams at the head of their divisions.

After just three and a half seasons of signal calling for the Green Bay offense, Aaron Rogers already has cheese heads thinking “Brett who?” His passer rating going into Packers’ bye week was 125.7, including 20 touchdowns versus just three interceptions.

There’s no doubt that Rogers’ success is the reason his team has started the season 7-0 to lead the NFC East. His arm should be well rested as he travels to the left coast to see if he can keep the Pack perfect in San Diego in Week 9.

In contrast, New England’s Tom Brady is not having his best year. After seven games, he’s been intercepted eight times. In 2010, he gave up only four picks all season and ended up ranked #1 overall.

But even when he’s off, the Patriot’s quarterback is still phenomenal. With a 104.4 passer rating, Brady has tossed his team to a record of 5-2, currently tied for the lead with Buffalo in the AFC East.

Sporting a 102.1 rating, New York’s Eli Manning is ranked #3 in the league. His 5-2 Giants are comfortably ahead of the other three teams in the NFC East, none of which has a top rated aerial attack. (Tony Romo in Dallas comes closest in the low 90s.)

Still negotiating a new contract in New Orleans, Drew Brees has been showing Saints fans that he’s worth every penny he wants. His 100.6 passer rating includes 2,746 yards in the air, more than any other quarterback in the league at this stage. The 5-3 Saints are clinging to a slim lead over the Falcons and the Buccaneers in the NFC South.

On the other end of the standings are the NFL’s two winless teams, Miami (0-7) and Indianapolis (0-8). The Dolphins have choked in the air with Chad Henne (79.0) and Matt Moore (65.3). The Colts, of course, were devastated by the loss of injured Peyton Manning; his replacement, Curtis Painter, has a passer rating of just 75.1.

Ironically, having Manning off the roster simply proves why giving the Hall-of-Fame-bound QB the recent contract extension he wanted was worth $90 million. More than any other component of play, passing wins games. And that’s a stat you can bet on.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright ugly. But on October 29, 2011, Penn State delivered victory #409 to their 84-year-old leader Joe Paterno, making him the coach with the most wins in NCAA Division I football history.

Ranked #19 prior to kickoff and playing at home, 7-1 PSU was heavily favored over unranked Big Ten rival Illinois, who were 6-2 coming into Happy Valley. But by all accounts, it was a miserable game for both teams till the last few minutes.

On Saturday, one of the worst blizzards in history came upon the Northeast. Beaver Stadium was draped in heavy wet snow. Pre-game, the grounds crew did their best to clear the turf, but the white stuff kept falling and left the surface slushy and slick.

Penn State fumbled the ball six times, losing two of them plus an interception to the Fighting Illini, who led 7-0 going into the fourth quarter. With seven minutes left, Anthony Fera’s 30-yard field goal put the Nittany Lions within four. Then, with just 1:08 to go, sophomore RB Silas Redd lugged the slippery pigskin three yards to the endzone for a 10-7 lead.

But the game wasn’t quite over. On the next possession, Illinois started in its own 17 and drove all the way down to the Penn State 25. That gave kicker Derek Dimke an opportunity to tie it with a 42-yarder, but as time expired his attempt bounced off the right upright, giving Paterno the historic win.

Just how awesome is his record? Florida State’s Bobby Bowden won 377 times prior to retirement, while Alabama’s Bear Bryant got only 323 wins. Woody Hayes never even reached 250 at Denison, Miami and Ohio State combined. The man JoePa left in second at 408 victories was Grambling’s Eddie Robinson, whose feat was once thought to be unbeatable.

En route to this amazing accomplishment, the Brooklyn native, who played both quarterback and cornerback for Brown University in 1946-49 before serving 15 years as a PSU assistant coach, guided Penn State through 46 seasons. He got his team to two national championships and five undefeated, untied seasons—more than any coach in NCAA football history.

Paterno well deserves the accolades he has received, as well as the short rest that next week’s bye will afford him. Win #410 is not going to come easily.  The Nittany Lions face #10 Nebraska next, followed by Ohio State and then #20 Wisconsin to close their 2011 regular season.

Should Penn State win the Leaders Division, as expected, they will face the best team in the Legends Division for the first ever Big Ten Conference Championship game. That will take place in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2011.

Many say that could be the maestro’s last concert. It would certainly be a fitting way to end a glorious career if it ended in one more triumph—a final feather to add to JoePa’s war bonnet and one more victory beyond what any other coach in Division I has ever accomplished.

Hats off to JoePa!